


The Return of the Jedi

by MrsSpencerReid



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Multi, Nightmares, Past Abuse, Protective Qui-Gon Jinn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:33:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28417674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsSpencerReid/pseuds/MrsSpencerReid
Summary: He looked away for just a moment, one tiny moment, and his life changed forever.There is no sign of Obi-wan anywhere and the jedi Council has given up hope of finding him alive. But just when Qui-Gon thinks that life is going back to normal, a mystery discovery and a shocking reveal throws him into uncharted territory for a jedi master. Is he up for the challenge?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	1. Taken

**Author's Note:**

> OK so I have only seen the films and done some research, therefore not everything in this fic will be perfect but bare with me, I'm still learning. Also, please excuse any spelling errors, my technology is abysmal.
> 
> As always, I do not own anything to do with Star Wars or the characters involved.

It had been a routine excursion, very little risk and the chance for Obi-wan to explore a beautiful environment. Endor was not too long of a journey so they wouldn't be exhausted when they returned, the Ewoks could be easily reasoned with if you brought the right bargaining chips, and Qui-Gon could spend a delightful afternoon showing his padawan all of the delights that the dense rainforest had to offer. It seemed like the perfect mission and so when Master Windu asked them to go, Qui-Gon was more than eager to oblige. It was a simple task, the Ewoks had captured a travelling deligate from Alderon who had been observing them from the trees and had been discovered, and Qui-Gon and Obi-wan were tasked with setting him free. Of course there was always a need to be wary of the short, furry creatures, and not underestimate their strength, but Qui-Gon was convinced that a couple of new gliders and a few hampers of food would be more than enough to convince them to release the meddling captive.

So they set off, two pilots flew the ship from the cockpit whilst Qui-Gon and his padawan rested in the back area, sat around a small table sipping cups of hot chocolate as they waited to arrive. Obi-wan's eyes were wide and excited as he watched the stars pass through the window of the ship. Of course jedi frowned upon doing things for excitement and adventure, but Qui-Gon couldn't help but smile at the boy's delight. After all, the life of a padawan learner was not easy, why shouldn't Obi-wan be afforded a few pleasant emotions.  
'Can the Ewoks really overpower a jedi, master?' Obi-wan asked, his voice full of awe and wonder.  
Qui-Gon chuckled 'yes young one, so we must be careful. You must listen to me and trust my judgment.' He didn't really need to say it, Obi-wan always listened. He was a good boy and an even better apprentice and all at the age of only 15! Qui-Gon couldn't wait to see what the boy would become, he knew it would be impressive.

It was humid when they arrived on Endor and both jedi immediately removed their outer robes. Qui-Gon lead the way to the Ewok village with Obi-wan following closely behind. As Qui-Gon had predicted, the exchange itself had been relatively easy. At first, the Ewoks had resisted and threatened the jedi with their primitive weapons, but after a little negotiation they agreed to release the prisoner and the jedi lead him out of the dense foliage without a backwards glance. The deligate looked sheepish and embarrassed, his cheeks stained pink at the knowledge that the high council had had to send jedi warriors to rescue him from his own mistake. He thanked Qui-Gon repeatedly as they trekked back to the ship until, at last, Obi-wan turned to him with a grin and said 'My master doesn't appreciate grovelling, the best thank you would be keeping yourself out of trouble so that we don't have to rescue you again.' Qui-Gon couldn't help but smile at the boy's words, Obi-wan knew him so well.

The entire mission took very little time at all and both jedi were ready to return home and rest before their next trip. Qui-Gon sent the deligate to the small bathroom to freshen up before they departed; being locked in a wooden cage for three days had done nothing to improve the man's appearance or odour. Obi-wan sat at the table and took the mug of hot chocolate that was offered, draining it in mere minutes as he waited for the ship to take off.  
'Just a few moments now padawan.' Qui-Gon said, his voice as deep and authoritative as usual but with an essence of something happier as he took the seat opposite his apprentice 'The pilots are performing some last minute checks and then we will be on our way home.' Obi-wan nodded but gave a slight wriggle in his seat, he was hardly squirming, but Qui-Gon knew his padawan well and knew immediately what was wrong. He sighed and gestured towards the ship door, 'I told you to go earlier Obi-wan, you must get a firmer grip on this.' Obi-wan nodded sheepishly. 'The deligate is using the bathroom, go outside into the bushes if you cannot hold it, but don't make a habit of it.' Obi-wan nodded once more and rushed outside into the dense, green foliage.

That was the last time Qui-Gon saw him. The deligate left the bathroom moments later and the pilots called through to say that they were ready to take off but Obi-wan still wasn't back. Qui-Gon sighed, assuming his padawan was distracted by the wildlife on the planet, and strode outside to retrieve him. Only, Obi-wan was nowhere in sight. He was nowhere near the ship and the dirt below was too dry for him to have left tracks. Qui-Gon called out to the boy but heard nothing in return. Obi-wan had vanished. All of a sudden, Qui-Gon felt something hard beneath his foot, he looked down and his mind swam with the force of what he saw. Obi-wan's lightsaber was laying in the dirt, beside it was his severed padawan braid- it's length a painful reminder of how young the boy was- and a small pool of crimson blood. Qui-Gon felt bile rise in his throat at the unmistakable reality: something terrible had happened.

xXx

The ship didn't leave Endor that night. The jedi high council were flown out at once and immediately began searching the area. Master Yoda meditated from the ship for hours but felt nothing, Obi-wan was too far away to be reached. Master Windu organised the other masters into search teams, two in each party for safety as they scoured the area for any sign of what might have happened. It was all to no avail, other than what Qui-Gon had already found, there were no other traces of Obi-wan on the planet, it was as if he had disappeared into thin air.

Shaak Ti placed a comforting hand on Qui-Gon's shoulder as the masters returned to their ships. 'There is very little blood my friend.' She told him gently. 'We will not stop searching, but for now there is no more we can do. Come, let us go home.'

So Qui-Gon went, feeling like he was leaving a part of himself on that planet. He watched the stars fly past the window in the ship and felt his stomach churn, there was no more awe and wonder to be found in the galaxy, not without Obi-wan there to find it.


	2. Days Gone By

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the kudos! I hope. You enjoy this next chapter.

The first week after Obi-wan's disappearance was the most challenging and chaotic. Qui-Gon did not sleep for more than an hour at a time and all of his conscious efforts were fixated on finding his missing padawan. Master Windu contacted anyone and everyone he could think of, jedi knights and masters from all over the galaxy, in the hopes that one of them had seen or heard something. Many of them joined the search, scouring their base planets for information on the boy. However, it seemed like no matter how many hours they spent interviewing locals and hunting for evidence, they always came up empty handed. It was as if Obi-wan had just ceased to exist and every time that they returned to the temple with no news it became harder and harder for Qui-Gon to let go of his anger and remain his jedi calm. The man spent most of that first week with Master Yoda in the jedi temple, meditating and reaching out into the force to try and find any trace of Obi-wan, but they too found nothing. This infuriated the jedi master who had made it perfectly clear that he felt his place was out searching for his padawan, not fruitlessly searching for disturbances in the force. Finally, on the sixth day following Obi-wan's disappearance, Qui-Gon snapped. A lifetime of conditioning himself to follow the jedi path came unravelled and he gave up any attempts at masking his fear.  
'How can there be nothing?' He growled at Master Kloon as the man presented his lack of discovery to the council. 'Obi-wan is strong, he is strong with the force, he is strong emotionally and he is growing stronger in combat every day. So I know that my padawan put up a fight and I do not accept that there is no evidence, nothing at all remaining!' He folded his arms accross his broad chest and fixed burning blue eyes upon the jedi council. To the untrained eye, he appeared calm and collected, almost more so than one should be after they hear of such a tragic disappearance. But the council had known Qui-Gon his entire life, he had grown up around these people, and they could see how tense his muscles were beneath the jedi robes and they could hear the sharp tone to his voice when he spoke.

'Be that as it may, old friend, the verdict remains consistent and that is that Obi-wan left nothing behind.' Windu's voice was firm, a warning to Qui-Gon not to forget his place.

'He left nothing behind except for his blood!' Qui-Gon growled back, challenging the jedi master's threat and knowing that Windu would do nothing to enforce protocol during such trying times.

'A small amount of blood, Qui-Gon, not enough for a life-threatening injury. Besides, the boy also left his lightsaber so perhaps he did not have chance to fight, perhaps that is why we can find no trace of him.' Shaak Ti had a soothing voice but her words held no comfort.

Qui-Gon stood and gave a short, curt nod to the council before turning and leaving the room without another word. Finally, Master Yoda spoke. 'Hard for him the most this is. Careful what we say we must be.'

Master Windu sighed 'There is no trace of the boy anywhere in the galaxy. Does it stand to reason that perhaps we are looking for someone who is no longer there?'

Master Yoda frowned and seemed to contemplate this for a moment. 'Possible it is, but certain it is not. Keep searching we must until answers we have found.'

xXx

The missions slowly began to trail off after that, less and less jedi were contacted and business within the jedi temple began to turn to seemingly more pressing matters. The council left Qui-Gon more or less alone for about a month. They visited him often and meditated with him when they could, but he was not sent on any missions or forced to leave his chamber for anything. More than once he had requested permission to search for his padawan himself, but the council had feared the repercussions for the jedi if he returned empty handed and had denied his requests. So Qui-Gon spent most of his days meditating silently in the presence of a protocol droid who was there to assist with anything if the jedi master needed it. Qui-Gon rarely ate anymore, doing so only out of obligation when Shaak Ti or Windu dropped off some food. At night he drank, not enough to make himself sick or to numb the pain he felt, but enough to help him sleep soundly at night. He couldn't stand to see or hear anymore visions of Obi-wan, captive or in pain- sometimes worse. A glass or two of ardees saw to it that he didn't dream at all.

Finally, the council had decided that Qui-Gon had had enough time for silent thought and recuperation and they agreed that it was time for him to serve the galaxy once more. Shaak Ti was the one who broke the news. Qui-Gon was meditating silently in his room when she entered and her eyes went immediately to the small padawan braid that was resting in Jinn's palm. Her throat clenched at the sight, a stark reminder that Obi-wan had been so young when he was taken.  
'Where am I to be sent?' the jedi asked before Shaak Ti had chance to speak.  
She coughed so what awkwardly but smiled at her old friend 'The jedi high council feel-'  
'I know what you feel.' Qui-Gon cut her off 'Where are you sending me?'  
Shaak Ti should have known that Qui-Gon wouldn't want to discuss everything, he lived in the present and debating the Council's reasoning behind everything would do him no good, he knew that he couldn't hide forever. 'There is a disagreement on Naboo, something concerning the election of the next Queen. We would like you to go and help resolve the situation.' She paused and Qui-Gon knew what she was going to say. 'It will be an easy mission, old friend. Something to reassimilate you with the jedi path.'  
Qui-Gon did not reply.

After that, Qui-Gon was a fully reinstated member of the jedi order and was expected to go on multiple missions. He seemed to hardly be on Coruscant and it suited the jedi master just fine. Meditating for his padawan was exhausting and had yielded no results, the council wouldn't let him physically search for the boy and so throwing himself into his work was the best that he could do. After all, didn't the jedi agree that no life has more or less value than another. Why should Obi-wan's life take president over the lives of the people that he helped. At least, that was what Qui-Gon told himself on those long journies too and from planets, whether he actually believed it is another thing entirely.

A year passed in this fashion and it seemed to the outside as if Obi-wan had been completely forgotten. The council even asked Qui-Gon to take on another padawan but the master refused and they didn't push the subject, assuming that they would be able to persude him the following year. Nobody minded their words around Qui-Gon anymore and they had no reason to, Obi-wan was no longer a topic of discussion. Shortly after Qui-Gon's first mission they had held a small funeral for the boy, burning a small box containing his severed padawan braid; the last remaining part of the padawan learner. But little did the council know that the box had been empty as the flames devoured it. Each night Qui-Gon returned to his room and held the small braid in his hand. He made a promise to Obi-wan, not that he would find him, but that he would not forget him. Then he would hide the braid away again, drink a glass or two of ardees and fall into a dreamless slumber.

xXx

Qui-Gon was away on a mission on Alderon when fate threw a mysterious and unexoected asteroid in the direction of the jedi master. An asteroid that, mysteriously, landed 16 hours away.

The owner of a small cantina in an unsavoury area of coruscant awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of windows breaking below him. Panicked, he grabbed a small, unregistered blaster and raced down into his business. The lights were off and moonlight gleamed in through the shattered glass. 'Come out.' The owner demanded, his ears straining in the silence but finding nothing. He stalked around the small, sticky tables, his eyes growing ever more accustomed to the darkness, when suddenly he saw the moonlight shine down upon the ghostly image of a small, white hand. The owner fought the urge to recoil in shock and rounded the table to find a small, thin boy laying face down on his floor. The boy's hair was long and covered his face and a thin trail of blood streamed from the hand that had smashed the window. The boy groaned something unintelligible in a weak and broken voice that left the owner reeling. He didn't know what had happened, but he had sense enough to understand that this was no typical break-in.


End file.
